This one goes out to all the good folks who are up early in the morning, going to their local chamber of commerce, hitting that networking breakfast, and doing their part to keep the economy going through good old fashioned hustle. You are the ambassador of your brand.
When you swap cards at the chamber you are engaged in economic diplomacy and the stakes are high for you and your business. When you stand up and give your 60, or 45, or 30 second speech at that networking lunch you are in the process of setting policy and expectations for inter-business relations. Now here’s the rub: you are you AND you are the impression-setter for your company. You are the window by which your friends, partners, customers, and prospects become acquainted with your brand. If you are not projecting an image that is consistent with your brand you are creating a disconnect in the minds of the people you meet, yet you must also be authentic to yourself. Of course it is easier when you own the company and you are the one setting the tone for vision, mission and value for both yourself and your enterprise. but even if you are working for someone else, you are shouldering the responsibility for framing the brand story for the people you interact with – if you are phony, it reflects on the brand, if you are impatient, it reflects on the brand, if you are overly what’s-in-it-for-me, that reflects on the brand. A brand can be a lot of things, and a person is a whole lot more complex, but you have to find a harmony that fits, that gives people access to you, and through you, to all the great value your company can bring.
What’s your brand’s diplomatic policy? Try writing down the 3 to 5 most important aspects you want your business contacts to recognize in your brand. Then write down the 3 to 5 perceptions you want people to have of you. How well do they align? Ask a trusted friend if this the image you are projecting. Go over your elevator pitch, your handshake line, your stadium pitch, and see if it serves both you and your brand to meet the criteria you’ve written down. Keep tweaking and tuning – you’ll know when you’ve found the right balance, because it will both feel good, and will get you the folks you want to connect with: the ones aligned with the value you offer and the working vibe that suits you best. That’s the best kind of business diplomacy.
"I adore your doodles... I swear looking at those bunnies lowers my blood pressure, calms my mind and makes me smarter. Who needs meditation when there are bunnies?"
Are you nodding in agreement or just nodding off?
I’ve posted here before about being the Ambassador of your Brand, but I thought that Seth Godin made a nice point in his blog today (big surprise) that tied in neatly with the concept. In his post, entitled Always on (everybody markets), he points out that how you act throughout your day, is in itself a form of marketing. If you’re falling asleep or looking bored during a meeting you are advertising your lack of enthusiasm, and like it or not, that reflects on your personal branding. There is an old saw that goes “how you practice is how you play” and whether you choose to believe that or not, it is often how you are measured by those around you. If you consistently project an air of apathy, chances are you will be labeled as an apathetic person — not usually considered a career enhancing trait.
This also points out the importance of the brand ambassador’s job to communicate: if you are yawning in the conference room because you’ve been pulling all-nighters to meet a critical deadline, then don’t be reluctant to politely share that fact. Better to be thought of as someone who might be tooting his/her own horn a little bit, than to be perceived as someone too bored to stay awake, or worse, labeled as someone who just doesn’t care.